Bring Back Striker, and Stanford

[Trill Co$by]

"Awwww shucky ducky, quack quack!" .... yawn

"With the greatest of ease!" .... another yawn

"Ohhhh my goodness!" .... yeah enough already!

Okay, I don't get too much into the commentary threads here because I used to believe that the commentary was just a small part of the show. But now that I've had to sit through the same five commentary lives from Booker and the same repetitive Pro-Heel comments of Michael Cole (as well as the double standards of Jerry Lawler) I'm finally at a point where I would rather have Matt Striker commentate in either of their spots than to listen to another stale commentary.

Don't get me wrong, at first, I liked how WWE did their commentary tables and it was a nice twist. But after a while, I realized that I miss being educated by someone like Matt Striker. Yeah, Josh Matthews tries to do it, but he's not as entertaining for me. I miss the way Matt Striker would give you intellectual details about how a move truly is painful. It really set him apart from other announcers when he did that.

Now don't get started with your little "He's on Superstars" comments because nobody watches that... except internet darlings. I want to turn on Smackdown and get an actual color commentating job done right by a guy who can educate you enough. Booker T is a 6x World Champion... Jerry Lawler a total of 164 championships... and yet neither of them can seem to wrap their brains around the concept of how to let the crowd know how painful the move is.

While we're on that subject, replace Josh Matthews with Scott Stanford on Smackdown. He's got a very great "radio voice" which would come across just great on commentary. I prefer Matthews backstage where Striker & Stanford are for Raw and Smackdown.

Anyway, enough of my ranting...

Do you think Striker should return to televised commentary?

Do you think Stanford should be brought up to televised commentary?

 

[Odisho]

yes, yes, and yes please, matt striker is the best commentator ever, @HASHTAG KILLER- u mentioned how he tells how much pain a move is(no offense) and u didnt tell all the other reasons why matt sriker deserves to be on telivised commentay. He is an actual commentator, and thats why WWE replaced him. he dosent ramble about twitter, or bashing faces. He always mentions the positive thing of every superstar, Heel or Face. And u were right about how he teaches us(he was a teacher). he gives us facts about someone. When booker T returned, he actually made his return big by yelling about how he was a childhood favorite, and also teached the new fans that dont know him at the fact that he is a former 6X WCW/WWE champ. Same with diesel, i mean nash.

Yess Matt striker deserves to be on telivision, Smackdown brand. WHere ''Wrestling ACTUALLY matters''.

As for scott stanfort, i havnt listened to him as much, but i know he has a really great voice, and he has an espn/sports show. Which is pretty good.

 

[SamWinks]

I think Striker is a great commentator he is good at putting the talent over. the only time i remember him stuff up was at survivor series 2010 when he said Cena is freeeeee! but at least he dosent stutter on every word. he iseverything a commentator should be

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Stanford/Striker sound like a great combo. Add William Regal for some additional wit and charisma and we have the perfect 3-man booth to take over Smackdown.

Booker T can join Cole and Lawler on Raw in their pathetic excuse for wrestling commentary while we can get a true commentary team on Smackdown which has always been the real wrestling show.

I'd feel sorry for Jack Korpela and Josh Matthews who will be getting screwed again, but I think their voice, looks and style are more appropriate for backstage interviewing. I don't believe it when someone like Striker gets intimidated by The Miz knowing fully well that Striker can kick his ass, but Matthews and Korpela are puny and geeky enough for it to work.

Raw- Cole, Booker & Lawler + Josh Matthews as interviewer
SD- Regal, Striker & Stanford + Jack Korpela as interviewer

Make it happen WWE!

 

[SFC]

Scott's a great guy and a hell of a worker, have done some work with him myself. His problem is that he's an anchor for the NBC NY affiliate, which interferes with how much time he puts in to WWE. Unfortunately, that's why he may never get the RAW or Smackdown job.

 

[jontabs]

The way color commentary booths were usually set-up, not just in wrestling, but also in other major sports (NBA, NFL,MLB, etc), was using only two members : The COLOR COMMENTATOR and the PLAY-BY-PLAY GUY

The play-by-play guy is obviously the guy who calls the action in the ring, tells the audience what moves are done, etc, etc. The color commentator on the other hand, furthers the story with his comments, gives out jokes, and basically tries to lighten up to mode.

The Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan pairing is perhaps the most famous pairing of this in wrestling. Another example, JR was the play-by-play guy too and Jerry Lawler was the color commentator.

HOWEVER, wrestling and other sports expanded to a THREE man set-up : Adding another color commentator OR an "expert type" commentator.

WCW Nitro was good at this with Schiavone as the play-by-play guy, Heenan as the color commentator, and Tenay as the expert, and it worked very well.

The problem with WWE commentators now a days, is that they are ALL COLOR COMMENTATORS. Cole and Lawler are both color commentators. Cole and Booker T are both color commentators. Everybody tries to chime in with their biased comments, and I understand that Vince is telling them what to do.

Josh Matthews attempts to be a true play-by-play guy, and Striker would perhaps be good expert (though he kinda lost a bit of credibility for me at last year's Royal Rumble : "It's a markout moment! I'm marking out bro!")


So, in response to the OP's questions :


Q: Do you think Striker should return to televised commentary?

A : ONLY IF the WWE decides to go back to a three man panel WITH clear cut roles involved. He would be a great expert type.



Q : Do you think Stanford should be brought up to televised commentary?

A: Why not? Give him a shot. He works as a TV anchor anyway. At least we know he can speak already.

 

[shameronstar]

Matt Strikers a good commentator, but after listening to him for a certain period of time he comes off as very condescending and that gets kind of irritating. I personally like William Regal the best myself so I think he should could be a great color commentator. I think Booker T is kind of funny, but since he's more of a personality and less of a formal commentator obviously he needs to be paired with someone who is more formal and less bias and the person he's paired with needs to be able to have Booker T bounce off them and be at harmony not in constant conflict and arguing like with like Michael Cole.

 

[#hamler]

I like Matter Striker enough to call him a quality commentator. Striker is very knowledgeable when it comes to knowing his wrestling holds, history and whatnot. I miss that. I miss the days where the color commentator would actually inform us why Ric Flair is attacking his opponents' leg or why CM Punk has such a big problem with WWE management. You just don't get that kind of insightful piece of information nowadays; Matt Striker should and could very well fill that position. If Jerry Lawler ever retires from the booth, I would love to see Striker move to Raw on a permanent basis. He's certainly good enough.

As for Scott Standford, no. I don't particularly care for him. His voice is incredibly annoying for my liking. Not really a reason that may disqualify him with you but I don't care; he doesn't cut it for me.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I liked the stuff Stanford and Punk did. Punk was golden but Scott was pretty good there too. Stanford, for me, has a good voice and I would like to see him on SD at some point.

I really liked Striker. Even after his pics leaked (which I haven't seen, Darnit!). He was a typical IWC commentator and would drop old references and say other cool things that would make smile. Also he would do something good which is giving wrestler's nicknames. Now I have to point out this is great for a superstar and his appeal as a nickname like Texas Rattlesnake or the Cerebral Assassin can shape your character as well. He kinda did too many at times but it was fun in moderation.

 

[H33LTurn]

Striker and Stanford sound like actual sports commentators. It wouldnt hurt to have some fresh faces on the SD announce stable.

 

[ian_d]

I enjoyed T-Grish and Striker. They worked well as a team and seemed to actually inform us. Obviously, there's no Girsham for WWE, but Stanford could fill his role. I absolutely loved the Stanford/Punk. Their back and forth was great and definitely fit well when you were watching people like Primo and Yoshi go against each other. If someone could be a bit disrespectful but not be Michael Cole (who has an undeserved sense of superiority) like William Regal, i think that would be good.

 

[BK Styles]

Whilst I agree with some of your points with the current commentary, I don't think any of the three should be replaced. I like Booker for some strange, unknown reason, Cole is a quality commentator when he isn't on his 'burying faces' drive (have always loved his work on Smackdown before he was drafted to raw a few years ago), and I still personally like Lawler, though he isn't the figure at the table he once was.

That said, I loved Striker. He's the guy who'll tell you the reasoning behind whats going on in the ring; why are they attacking the leg and not the arm, why are they focusing on the back, etc. In short, he is the commentator that adds to the psychology of the wrestling match. the only thing with him I'm unsure on is that, at times he can seem forced. Like his commentary on Christians return back in ECW. It just seemed a bit too...well, forced is the best word I can think of at the moment, but then there are times when he can come off with some damn fine moments. Suvivor Series 2009 when HBK kicks HHH in the triple threat with Cena; his commentary, for me, made that moment even more epic.

Stanford, however, I do not like. I hear him and I automatically get taken back to Sunday Night Heat. Now, maybe if we didn't have a legend in JR and such a vocal character in Cole, I'd have no issue with him, but he doesn't do it for me commentary wise. His stuff with Punk was golden, and it wasn't just because of Punk, but I just don't see Stanford as a leading commentator on either shows.

Personally, I'd love to have different commentary teams for each show again. I'd have Booker, Striker and Josh Matthews on Smackdown, and Raw would have Lawler, Cole and either Striker or Booker (to me, it'd make sense to have both shwos with three men rather than one with three and one with two, so one of striker and Booker would float between the two).

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

I watched the 2010 Royal Rumble last night to get amped for the 2012 Rumble and I found myself really enjoying the commentary. They had Lawler, face Cole and Striker… And I loved it! Best commentating I’ve heard in a long time.

I like Lawler but I wouldn’t miss him if he were gone and I think Cole either needs to go back to announcing as a face (which works, he’s actually quite good when he’s not playing an over the top heel) or leave announcing to manage an up and coming heel. Striker was absolutely gold in his commentating and it boggles my mind to consider why WWE would pull him from the desk of one of the main shows. He’s able to convey realism into the bouts while also pushing a story. He heels on the heels and pops for the faces, he knows the holds and moves and educates the audience on what they are and he also keeps the other announcers get their commentary over.

Striker is way too underutilised in backstage segments, I’m in absolute agreement that he should be brought back to one of the main shows and on PPV’s.

 

[cm ben]

Wow, I'm surprised all the Striker love there is on this board. Frankly, I couldn't stand the guy while he was announcing. I feel like it ought to be a prerequisite that you have to be able to string a coherent sentence together before you get hired as an announcer. That being said, I love Booker T, but that's because he's not trying to feign medical expertise; his purpose is to say goofy shit, and good lord does he excel at it. Plus, he's Booker fucking T, he can say whatever he wants, and I'd eat it up. Striker just came off as awkward and forced.

I got a real kick reading this article about Wrestlemania 26, more or less because the writer keeps track of all of Striker's gems from the evening. Here's the link, and I'll copy and paste the Striker parts, too:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100330

Striker favors Christian to win, explaining, "I cannot tell you how much that experience, how valuable that, to know what it's like to climb that ladder, to know what it's like to incapacitate your opponent, to render him useless and climb your ladder on the way to destiny." Perhaps Striker should stop talking.

Striker follows a promo for the April 25 "Extreme Rules" pay-per-view by explaining, "Every match is extreme rules -- certainly a night to be seeing, extreme rules." Maybe you oughta stop talking for a while, Champ.

Triple H pins Sheamus. Half-decent match that seemed rushed. That doesn't stop Striker from calling it "a classic" and gushing, "The triumph of wills, the triumph of spirit, the triumph of Triple H!" He's worse than Lord Alfred Hayes, Dusty Rhodes and Steve McMichael combined. If there was a God, he'd be fixing a headset cord under the Spanish announcers' table tonight right as two wrestlers plunged through it.

Rey escapes with a pin as Striker yelps, "Daddy's coming home!" I can't figure out a way to mute him. I've tried everything.

During a conversation about Batista breaking Cena's neck two years ago, Striker utters this beauty: "I can tell you from experience being in the ring that your neck means EVERYTHING to your success." You know, as opposed to the other sports.

Striker is undeterred: "The passion, the power, the grandeur, congratulations, John Cena is the new WWE champion!"

Yeah, I don't know. Pretty awkward, atrocious announcing, imho. And I hated how he said "congratulations" after a match. You're talking to us, Striker, the winner of the match is still in the ring, he can't hear you. To each his own, though!